Knowing who sent you all the emails helps prioritize important business leads and contacts while filtering out spam, phishing emails, telemarketing messages, and other irrelevant emails. However, finding out who sent you an email may not be easy, especially if the sender uses an anonymous email address or doesn’t provide any information about themselves

Fortunately, there are many resources online that can help you discover the identity of the sender. In this article, we will discuss how to find out someone’s name just from their email address.

1. Analyze the Email Address

The first thing you should do when trying to find out who sent you an email is to analyze the email address. Look for any clues that might help you narrow down your search. Some people use their name, social media username, or date of birth as their email address, for instance. If you find any information from the email address, use it to refine your searches.

If the email address seems abstract, and there is no way to identify the person from it, there are still other ways to track the sender. Read on to learn more.

2. Google the Email Address

Google is a powerful search engine that can help you find information about almost anything. To find out who sent you an email, search for the email address on Google. If the email address has ever been mentioned online, Google will retrieve results that include it.

Here are some tips to keep in mind when searching for an email address on Google:

• Put quotation marks around the email address to get exact results.
  For example, “[email protected]”.
• Check the email signature for any other information related to the sender, such as their name, workplace, school, or approximate location, and add it to your search query to narrow down your results.

If you still cannot find the sender’s identity using Google, try searching on social media platforms.

3. Check Social Media Platforms

Social media platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter might also help you track down the sender of an email. If you are lucky, the person who sent you the email may have an account on one of these platforms, which might provide you valuable insights into who they are and what they do. We’ll share with you how to perform the search on each platform.

Facebook

Being the largest social network, Facebook is a great option to start your search. To find someone on Facebook with an email address, follow these steps:

1. Go to Facebook.
2. Type the email address into the search field and press Enter.
3. If there is a profile linked to that email address, it will show up.

LinkedIn

To find someone on LinkedIn with an email address, follow these steps:

1. Have a Microsoft Outlook and LinkedIn account registered with the same email.
2. Log in to your Outlook account and click the People icon.
3. Click New Contact and fill in the email address and any name you want then click Create.
4. Go back to your Contact page and click on the new contact, then click the LinkedIn tab.
5. If there is a Linkedin profile associated with that email, you’ll find the See full profile on LinkedIn option. You’ll be prompted to log in to your LinkedIn account if you haven’t yet.

Twitter

To find someone on Twitter with an email address, follow these steps:

• Add the email you want to track to your contact list.
• Go to Twitter.
• Go to Menu > More > Settings and Privacy > Privacy and safety > Discoverability and Contacts.
• Turn on Sync address book contacts to import your email contacts to Twitter.
• Twitter will use your contacts as suggestions for who to follow on the site. You’ll be able to view the Twitter page associated with that email address if it’s available.

If none of these methods work, you can try tracking the sender’s IP address.

4. Use email lookup services

If you’ve tried all the methods above and still can’t figure out who the email sender is, you might want to use email lookup services. Email lookup services can help you track down someone by searching their email address through various databases and public records.

Some of the popular email lookup services include Social Catfish, Peoplefinders, and Whitepages.

• Social Catfish is a website that specializes in reverse image search, reverse phone lookup, and reverse email lookup to help users identify and verify the identity of individuals online.
• Peoplefinders is a platform that provides people search and background check services using public records data.
• Whitepages is an online directory that provides contact information, including phone numbers and email addresses, for people and businesses.

There are many other email lookup services available online. Make sure to use a reputable and trustworthy service and be cautious of scams when you use these services.

5. Track the Sender’s IP Address

The email header contains routing information and metadata that can be used to trace the source of the email. You can find the sender’s IP address from there and use an IP address lookup tool to find out the approximate location of the sender.

You can find the IP address in the Received Headers in the following format:

  Received: from [computer name and/or IP address from sender]
         by [server name] (maybe Internet protocol too); date.

Here’s how to find the sender’s IP address in Gmail and Outlook:

Gmail

• Open the email you want to trace.
• Click the three dots icon on the top right of the email.
• Click Show original.
• Look for the “Received: from” line. The sender’s IP address will be listed after this.

Outlook

• Open the email you want to trace.
• Click the drop-down menu in the top-right corner.
• Select View > View message source.
• Look for the “Received: from” line.

6. Contact Your Email Provider

If you’ve exhausted all other options and are still unable to identify the sender, you can contact your email provider for assistance. Most email providers have a support team that can help investigate the email and trace its origin.

Provide as much information as possible about the email, including the email address, subject line, and content. Your email provider may also ask for the email header, which contains important information about the email’s routing and origin.

In some cases, your email provider may be able to block the email address or take other action to prevent future unwanted emails.

In Summary

Identifying the sender of an unknown email can be a challenging task, but with the right tools and techniques, it is possible. Start by analyzing the email address for any clues, then use Google and social media platforms to search for the sender. If those methods fail, try tracking the sender’s IP address or using an email lookup service. Finally, if all else fails, contact your email provider for assistance.